One place that always goes all out during the holidays is Disneyland. On November 9th, Disney's Festival of Holidays returned to the California Adventure park in Anaheim. The Festival has two main attractions the marketplace and the entertainment. You will find a variety of dance, live music and a holiday-inspired performances throughout the park this holiday season. And like aways you can meet Santa Claus in the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail.

Along with the Festival of Holidays going on in California Adventure you can find Disney's ¡Viva Navidad! Street Party. Viva Navidad! has Donald Duck and the Three Caballeros bringing out some holiday cheer with festive puppets and the music of mariachi and samba musicians.

But what's the main attraction for the Festival of Holidays? THE FOOD! Just like last year, the Festive Food Marketplace is back, but with some changes. Each booth is completely different compared to last year and has a variety of options. Along with the the food vendors, the Market Place also has booths for Disney's holiday merchandise and speciality boutique pop-up shops. Here are all of the food stands that are part of this year's marketplace.

Merry Mashups has combined some of your favorite holiday classics. Here you can find the turkey & stuffing tamale with cranberry relish, lox & everything bagel nachos and even the hot cocoa marshmallow macaroon.

Winter Wonders has some feel good food that will make you feel warm and cozy. Here you can find the pumpkin soup with maple cashew cream, chana masala with grilled garlic naan and a vanilla cranberry trifle for dessert. I actually tried the chana masala and it was delicious! However, the serving size was on the small side and the "grilled" naan was cold.

Brews and Bites should just be called Brews and One Bite. The only food item on the menu is the chorizo queso fundido with house made tortilla chips. The rest of the menu is just the assortment of craft holiday brews. The best deal here is getting the alcohol flights, because you get a taste of four different brews.

At Favorite Things you'll find holiday ham shanks and Reuben potato tots to eat, but the real winners here are the eggnog cocktail and the cranberry sangria.

Holiday Duets has some interesting pairings here, the curry cauliflower soup is made with lamb and the shrimp and grits comes with sausage. Disney thinks they are perfect pairings, but I can't help but disagree. But you can't go wrong with the festive Mickey and Minnie Cookies here.

If you're looking for something sweet then Visions of Sugarplums is the stand for you. Here you'll find warm sticky toffee pudding, a white chocolate cranberry blondie, the eggnog wreath éclair and horchata fudge. Also here you'll find the Sweet Dreams and Milk Special, your choice of dessert and a carton of Horizon's organic milk. Yum!

At Blissfully Braised the name of the stand says it all. Here you'll find braised pork belly and cornbread cakes with braised collard greens and gravy.

Grandma's Recipes has your classic holiday treats like pot roast and candied yams. What you'll also find is what Grandma is drinking while she cooks. Here you can find cider and blonde ales that have a tart and fruity taste.

Spicy Celebrations is where you'll find hot fried turkey, jalapeño latkes and chocolate chipotle pot de crème. The real winner here is the pomegranate margarita.

A Twist on Tradition doesn't really seem that different to me, but maybe to some it can be seen as unconventional. Here you'll find pozole rojo beef with hominy polenta and “chicken-less” mole with Spanish rice. I honestly cannot wait to try the vegetarian mole! Also you can get the black forest yule log here.

The Winter Sliderland booth just reminds me of Thanksgiving. The turkey slider and stuffing mac and cheese just seems like some creative Thanksgiving leftovers to me. The only thing that throws off the Thanksgiving vibe is the milk chocolate-candy cane pot de crème dessert.

Making Spirits Bright is obviously the best booth in the Festive Food Market Place. Here you'll find a variety of wine, champagne, and even some festive mimosas. Make sure you get one of the Flights so you can sample three of the beverages. Yum!

If you plan on eating your way through the Festive Foods Marketplace then you might want to invest in the 2018 Disney Festival of Holidays Sip and Savor Pass. This pass comes with an official credential and lanyard and eight coupons that can be redeemed for food and beverages at select booths. The coupons do not work on alcohol and you get one coupon per booth essentially. The pass is $54 total, so if you plan on eating at all of the stands this might be a good investment.

Personally, I love holidays at the Disney parks. Something about the Disney Christmas magic just makes me feel so warm and fuzzy inside. The Festival of Holidays is a great addition to the park, however there's one thing about it that really grinds my gears. While the food is tasty, the portions are just way too small for the price paid. But hey that's just me. What do you think about the Festival of Holidays this year? Let me know! Until tomorrow.

Depending on what kind of gift exchange your work does (if they even do one) or if you attend a holiday party with a gift exchange, there are typically two kinds of gift exchanges: Secret Santa or a White Elephant. We all know what Secret Santa is, the name basically explains itself. Everyone draws a name and that's the person you have to get a gift for. Now, you're probably thinking what the hell is a White Elephant?

White Elephant is a gift exchange that is meant to entertain rather than actually give out good presents. It is also known as Yankee Swap, which is a more common name due the hilarious Christmas party episode of the Office. But sometimes, it even goes by Dirty Santa but that's not as common.

Shoutout to Giphy for this epic GIF!

White Elephant is basically all one big joke. Everyone provides one generic gift, usually there's a limit set (typically around $25) but it's not a present you really should go out and buy. A true white elephant gift is defined as an extravagant but burdensome gift that cannot be easily disposed. Basically it's something you hated and could not find a way or to regift it.

When you get to the gift exchange here is how it works. All the gifts are wrapped up, all in disguise so you have no idea what gift is what. Everyone gets a number and that will be the order of the picking. The first person picks a gift, and then opens it up. Then when the second person goes, they can steal that gift or pick a new gift. If a gift gets stolen, then the person who originally had it gets to pick a new gift. A gift can only be stolen three times. This will go on and on until everyone has taken their turn. Then once the last person picks their gift, the first person can decide if they want to steal anything or keep what they have. Sounds fun right?

But most of the time, people don't always have a random joke gift in the back of their closet ready to go. So here are some ideas for some fun and even useful gift ideas for a White Elephant gift exchange:

Silly Tech Items. A White Elephant gift exchange is the perfect time to get those funny tech items that were once trending topics like selfie sticks, fidget spinners, silly cell phone cases, character USB drives and etc. These make perfect gag gifts and are bound to get a couple laughs. Maybe throw in something useful like a pop socket, portable charger or a speaker to be on the nicer side.

Fun Mugs. You can never go wrong with a mug that has a fun quote or something snarky on it. Some places have some funny shaped mugs like toilets or even the poop emoji. You can always pair it up with some nice coffee or hot chocolate and make it a real treat.

Cozy Items. Getting items that will help people relax is always a real treat. Getting some fuzzy socks with some bath bombs, face masks, candles, essential oils and any other type of soothing items will be a big hit. Who doesn't want to relax? If you want to add a joke element to it get a funny pillow like a Pillow Pet or a funny blanket like a Snuggie or mermaid blanket to get some laughs.

Adult Coloring Books. These used to be a big thing, maybe not so much any more but they still would make a great gift. Who doesn't like to color? They also make some fun coloring books filled with profanities and curse words. Pair it with come crayons, colored pencils or markers and you're good to go.

Table Top Games. This year it seems like table top games are a popular ticket item, which is fun and different! Getting a travel size beer pong or flip cup game set would be a hot item to steal. Also this year, nostalgia board games are very popular. 90s kids would be happy to hear that Oregon Trail, Legends of the Hidden Temple, Where in the World is Carmen San Diego, and other games from their childhood have board game versions and are actually priced decently.

Alcohol Related Items. Fun giant wine glasses, Moscow mule glasses, beer steins, shot glasses, and any kind of fun alcohol glasses always make great gifts that you know someone will want to steal. Or even something funny like a beer funnel or the Chambong, a classy version of a beer funnel will get some laughs. Even a little bartending set would make a great gift. When in doubt, you can even just get a bottle of booze and you'll be good.

Gift Cards or Lottery Tickets. When in doubt, gift cards or lottery tickets always work great. You can pair it up with any item you want to get rid of or some kind of gag gift. Or you can make up a a cool way to wrap it, like putting them in a picture frame or even a mason jar. You can even add some candy to it to make it a little more fun!

White Elephant and Yankee Swap gift exchanges are meant to be silly and fun, not a serious or stressful event. If you're going to participate in one of these kinds of gift exchanges this year, it honestly should be the easiest gift you buy or don't buy this year.

Until tomorrow!

Something that every person from Southern California knows is that we're completely spoiled. California is the greatest place to live, and that's mainly because we have the best weather in the world. No one can fight us on this. Sure it does not rain or snow a lot and we're constantly in a drought, but hey you win some and you lose some.

California in the the winter is like everywhere else in the fall or towards the end of it. The temperature is a high of 70 degrees and depending on the day it can get as low as the 50s, and on very rare occasions it can get down to the 40s. The only thing is that during the winter, that is when California is supposed to get its rain.

So if we don't get snow or a lot of rain, what do us native Californians do in the winter for fun? Well, there's lots of things to do that are special to California and there are some normal winter activities we participate in.

Just because we live in California, that does not always mean we haven't seen snow. In fact, we have plenty of snow towns that are a couple of hours away. Lots of people will travel to these towns for a weekend getaway. See, us Southern Californians are smart. Instead of living in the snow, we travel to it. One of the most popular getaways in Southern California is a trip to Big Bear. Big Bear is a cute mountain town with several ski and snowboarding resorts. But for a further trip there are other ski resort towns up in Northern California like Lake Tahoe and Mammoth Mountain.

Plus if we really want to stay local but still see snow, plenty of theme parks will re-create that snow feeling. Disneyland will create snow for their holiday firework show and Knotts Berry Farm has holiday music and falling snow on Ghost Town’s Main Street. However, you won't find any snow at Universal Studios but you will see The Grinch and rest of the residents from Whoville.

The same goes with the outdoor seasonal ice rinks. Every major city has their fancy outdoor ice skating rink but what's so cool about California's outdoor ice skating rinks is that you get to skate under the sunshine with some gorgeous almost summer like weather. What could get better than that?

One of the best things to do in the winter in California is to go whale watching. During this time gray whales are migrating from Alaska and are heading south to Mexico. They migrate to Mexico in the early winter and return to Alaska in February and March. Lots of coastal cities offer boat tours for whale watching. They'll take you out so you can watch the whales swim by.

Since we're already on the topic of the ocean, why not take a trip down to beach? Sure it may be a little cool with the ocean breeze and the water will be freezing, but there's nothing like sitting on the beach with a blanket and a comfy sweatshirt. Plus you can always have a bonfire!

As you can see, California has it all. We don't get to miss out on winter, instead we have things that make winter even better. Have you ever seen a palm tree with Christmas lights on it? It's pretty cool. California has everything you want and need. I might be a little biased when I say this but California really is the best state. Now you tell me, what's winter time like where you're from?

Until tomorrow.

The biggest holiday fashion trend worldwide is the Ugly Christmas Sweater. Now why would someone want to wear an ugly sweater? Well the truth is, the more popular these sweaters become some of these sweaters actually become very cute and stylish.

Now when I was growing up, the Ugly Christmas Sweater was not trendy. They were so unpopular, no one in my close circles ever talked about them, So to me, they didn't exist. However, within the past couple years these sweaters have become the must have holiday fashion item. My question is, where did the popularity come from? We'll let's take a look at the history behind the Ugly Christmas Sweater trend.

Well first we need to be able to identify an Ugly Christmas Sweater. Here on the right you'll see the sweater I've been lusting over at Target. Obviously an Ugly Christmas Sweater has Christmas colors and elements on it, like a tree, snowmen or Santa.

In the United States, these sweaters have been around since the late 1800s. The first time these ugly sweaters were mass manufactured they were known as Jingle Bell Sweaters.

We all know Bill Cosby wore all his funky sweaters on the Cosby Show in the 90s. Thanks to that, he is considered to be the ugly sweater pioneer. But growing up in the 90s, I never noticed anyone really fawning over these sweaters and I don't recall seeing them in stores. Not like we do today, so how did they become so popular today?

Well the popularity behind the Ugly Christmas Sweater today is all thanks to the increase of ugly sweater parties. The first ugly sweater party was thrown in Vancouver in the early 2000s, and after that it became an annual event. Then the parties branched out all around the world. And then when hipsters started to attend these parties they wanted to dress their part. They got their ugly sweaters at stores like Goodwill and other thrift shops. Since they were the only place you can find these sweaters. The market wasn't booming yet, but that certainly changed.

But once there was an increase in these ugly sweater parties, more people wanted these sweaters. So the retailers got in on this trend, and now you can find these sweaters all over, from Target to Nordstrom, there's an ugly sweater available for anyone.

So there's a little brief history lesson behind the Ugly Christmas Sweater, it's all quite fascinating don't you think? I certainly learned something new, and I hope you did too. Until tomorrow.

Food, it's an important part of our daily lives. Food helps keep us alive and gives us the energy we need to do all the things we need to do. Obviously there's food that's good for you and food that's not so good for you. It taste delicious but after a while it won't make you feel good. Everyone has their own taste and their own favorite kinds of food.

Food can bring people together. People go out on dates to restaurants, grab lunch and catch up with old friends, and I bet you remember those family dinners growing up. Food is such an important part of our culture. Think about all those food blogs out there and all those people who Instagram their food. So for today's challenge here are some of my favorite foods:

Salad I know it's an odd choice but I really like them. They're healthy and after eating one I feel good! It doesn't leave me feeling gross and icky after eating one. Plus salads can be so versatile! There's a bunch of different kinds of lettuce and dressing, and you can add all sorts of vegetables.

Cupcakes Yes I like to indulge with a cupcake every once and a while. I love to bake cupcakes and eat them. Or I love to go to Sprinkles and get a cupcake. Nothing is better than the Sprinkles sundae, a cupcake with ice cream in the middle. Now I don't eat cupcakes all the time, but you know you've got to treat yourself now and then.

Pasta As an Italian, I love pasta. Spaghetti, penne, fettuccine, gnocchi, etc. You get the idea. I don't discriminate when it comes to my pasta! Pasta is so versatile, there so many kinds of noodles and they can also be paired with all different kinds of sauces! I'm mainly a red sauce fan, but I don't mind a pesto or white sauce every once and a while.

Cookies! Call me the cookie monster because I love COOKIES. Chocolate chip, white chocolate macadamia nut and sugar cookies are my favorites. But I'm never afraid to try a new kind of cookie. I love to bake cookies too, and you'll find me baking them when I'm craving something sweet.

Grilled Cheese Yes I am a child, I love grilled cheese. Nothing is better than cheese and bread put it together and you've got magic. It's such a simple meal that just tastes so good.

French Fries I love french fries probably just as much as the cookie monster loves cookies, maybe more. I love french fries. All of the french fries in the world. It's not the healthiest thing to love to eat, but I definitely want to try to make a healthy version of them.

Avocado Does that count? It should because I love avocado. I love to have it in my salad, on my sandwiches, in my quesadillas, etc. Basically if I can add avocado to it, it will be there. And yes I know it's extra.

Pretzels My favorite snack of all time! Whenever I go to a baseball game, I'll always get a salted pretzel with a side of cheese. But when I go to Disneyland, I get this special pretzel filled with jalapeño cheese. It is the most amazing thing of all time. And I love it. And growing up I loved Wetzel's Pretzels, and I get tempted every time I go to the mall.

Burritos The greatest creation of all time. They're so filling and filled with yummy goodness. I love a simple burrito like a bean and cheese, and I love a complex burrito like a vegetarian one from Chipotle filled so much my tortilla rips. I even enjoy breakfast burritos on occasion! Whoever thought of filling a tortilla with beans, rice, cheese and etc, is a genius.

Mozzarella Sticks I can't think of anything more delicious than fried cheese. Sure it's not the healthiest but it's so good. It's definitely a guilty pleasure of mine, it's something I'll get every once and a while.

I know with my favorite foods, they're all not the healthiest option out there. But that's okay, because I don't eat all these things all the time. And that's how it should be. If you ate something daily, odds are after a certain amount of time you wouldn't want to eat it anymore. Favorite foods are something you don't get so often so when you do get to eat them it makes them more enjoyable. Until next time.